What We Saw From The Stars
by stardustandmemes
Summary: Sol moves to the Alola region with his mom in an attempt to escape the chaos currently happening in Kanto. Alola seems peaceful at first, but while undergoing the famous Island Trials, Sol unearths a terrible secret in Alola. One that could possibly change the world forever.
1. Vlog 1: Welcome To Alola!

0\. _PROLOGUE_

The video flicks on. It's a little shaky at first, and the lighting is a bit off. It focuses on what appears to be a young kid, with blond hair reaching their shoulders and bright blue eyes. Light ukulele music plays in the background of the video.

"Hey guys! It's Sol again!" It's the same greeting for each video. "Or should I say, Alola- Chewy, no!"

The camera falls down, and all that's seen is what is under a bed. Dust bunnies and papers are already shuffled under. There's the sound of a Munchlax in the distance, and Sol tries to push the Pokémon out of the room.

"Chewy, come on! I'm trying to film."

" _Lax?"_

"You can't wait a _few_ minutes for me to record to have lunch?"

" _Muuunch."_

"Fine."

The video cuts. Sol is sitting on the bed again, everything is fixed again. "Hey guys! I can finally say it. My mom and I moved to Alola!" They smile widely. "The plane ride was terribly long to get here. Most of our stuff is still on the way or in the boxes, but I have my bed at least!" They flop back on their bed, out of frame for a few seconds.

The video cuts again to them sitting up with a smile. "I have no idea where living here will take me. My plans for vlogging my journey in Kanto came to a stop when Rocket began attacking again…" They sigh, rubbing the back of their neck, a terrible habit. "But maybe I'll have my own adventure here! I _am_ sixteen, after all. Chewy and I are ready for anything!"

A distant cry from Chewy from offscreen. Sol smiles, rolling their eyes.

"I was planning on giving a new _house tour_ today, but since some of our stuff still isn't in yet, I have to hold off on that. Mom says we're getting a visitor today, too, and I feel awkward filming with people I don't really know…" They shrug.

Another cut, this one to the view outside a window. The view is on a grassy field, and the sun is shining brightly in the sky. "It's six in the morning guys. _Six._ " The camera turns back to Sol. "It's, what, midnight in Kanto right now? It's six in the morning here and it's bright as the afternoon."

Sol yawns, the video cut back to the bed again. "I tried to sleep last night. Keyword- _tried._ I slept most of the plane ride, which was a bad idea, because I am really feeling the jet lag right now." A loud sigh. "Well, expect some more updates later on. I have no idea who's coming over today. I could possibly die. If I do…" They glance to the camera with a worried expression. "Sabine, delete my internet history." Sol gestures to an internet friend.

The video ends into the intro. Cheery music is playing in the background, and it links to other videos and a button labeled "subscribe!".


	2. WELCOME TO ALOLA!

It's been only a day in Alola and it feels like I'm already dying from the heat. Even in the house, it feels more than a hundred degrees. Laying in the bed as my video converted online wasn't much of a help, either.

Chewy, my Munchlax, was curled up at the bottom of the bed. His food bowl was empty, as it usually was. I wouldn't be surprised if he got up again and went and found some more food. Chewy had a bottomless pit for a stomach, for sure.

My mind kept wandering, however. It did not settle well for me. My vlogs had certainly improved over the years, however, I wasn't too sure how I could continue in Alola. If I traveled, would lack of internet prevent me from uploading on time? Would my viewers understand? All, what… I sat back up for a few seconds, grabbing my phone to check the watchers. Still at almost 500,000. 496,872. It felt weird to know that each of those numbers was a person with their own story.

That was just about as real as moving to Alola. It sounded so unreal, but it was my reality…

And my mind wandered again. I had the strangest dream the last time I slept, the moment my feet touched the ground in Alola. It was the most peculiar thing ever. A flash of images, before what seemed like a vision. Mom said there were some psychic anomalies on my father's side, but I hadn't connected those dots until now.

And the dream itself was the strangest as well. It was a blonde girl, with a giant sun hat on, obscuring her face. She was running from something. The girl wasn't as noticeable compared to the white technology and nature she was running through.

It must have been some strange dream, but there was this nagging feeling at me that something wasn't right.

A scratch at my door brought me back to reality. I watched as his mom's Meowth, Pluto, pranced into the room. She mewed once at me before leaving the room- Meowth language for _Mom wants you_.

Two mews means that _Mom wants you, you're in trouble._ Three is _Feed me_ , four is _pet me_ … the list goes on. Leaving Chewy to his food coma, I rolled off the bed and stretched my legs, following Pluto out of the room.

"Good to see you alive, Sol!" Mom grinned, walking in from the porch. She gets reenergized by the sun by just walking outside. She was born in Hoenn, but moved to Kanto when she had married my father. Her darker skin was a key sign.

I rolled my eyes, giving my mom a small grin.

"How does it feel like to _finally_ live in Alola?" Mom sighed dreamily. She had wanted to move to Alola ever since she had met someone in Kanto, a friend of hers, who was a native here. She told me stories about the mysterious trainer who had talked about islands far away from any other land. They had lost touch in the past twenty years, but had found each other once again.

"Like a dream come true?"

Mom laughed, picking up and cradling Pluto in her arms. The Meowth began to purr happily and doze off into another daytime nap.

Just at that moment, the doorbell rang.

"Oh, that must be him!" Mom grinned. "Sol, would you get the door for me?"

"Yeah, sure." Her hands were too full of Pluto to have opened it.

I hadn't even made it to the door before someone opened it and walked in. It must've been Mom's friend. He was at least a foot taller than me, with a cap on that had a rainbow. He also wore a lab coat, but no shirt underneath. It was a little strange to see at first.

The thing that stood out the most to me was… the crocs. He was wearing _crocs._

"Ah, Kukui!" Mom greeted, walking over, Pluto still a melted cat in her hands. "It's so great to see you in person again!"

"It's amazing to see you again as well, Cindy." The man, Kukui, greeted. "Is this Sol you told me about?"

"Yes it is!" Mom nudged me. "Come on, don't be shy."

I said the first thing that came to my mouth- "You're wearing crocs?"

Do you ever, just like, want to rip your own larynx out of your throat? That was how I felt at the moment.

Kukui only laughed. "Well, cousin, of course I am. They're the best shoes to keep cool in!"

I nodded, trying to keep the burning of my cheeks down. I had to be so terrible with first impressions, didn't I? Nonetheless, Kukui brushed it off and continued. "So how are you feeling, Sol? Any jet lag? We sure are a long way out from Kanto."

"I'm fine." I lied. I did feel a little tired, but since I felt that way all the time, there was no difference.

"Well, anyway, welcome to Alola!" Kukui grinned.

"Thank you, Kukui." Mom said. "I still remember seeing you battle against all the Gym leaders back in Kanto all those years ago. Watching you fight with your Alolan Pokémon made me fall even more in love with this place. I'm glad we finally got to come here ourselves." Mom wrapped a reassuring arm around my shoulders. "Even if we had to come without Richard."

Kukui's smile faltered a bit. "Ah, yes. How is that situation going in Kanto?"

"The Neo-Rockets have taken down gyms in Fuchsia and Vermillon city." I responded, remembering reading up about it a few hours earlier. "There's rumors of them going for Saffron next, but no one knows for sure. Half of Saffron has fled already."

"Yes." Mom sighed, leaning her hand in her face for a minute. "Richard says he's got it under control, but I worry for him, you know?"

We all knew how much Mom worried for Richard. Even if he was my step-father and always out on his job, we knew that they loved each other. It hurt Mom a lot to have to leave him in Kanto while she moved her and I out to Alola. I wasn't complaining, at least. Not only was it getting dangerous in Kanto, but the people there hadn't ever been too friendly to me as well.

Alola seemed to be the perfect place to settle, at least.

"Well, no need to think about that on a day like this!" Kukui perked up, near instantly. "After all, Sol, today is a very big day!"

"...It is?" I asked.

Kukui nodded. "Of course. Today is the day you get your first Alolan Pokémon!"

... _What?_

"Of course. Your Mom _did_ mention you wanted to look into the Trials for your v-logs." He butchered the pronunciation of vlogs, however, I let him continue. "The Kahuna in Iki Town is always very generous when handing out Pokémon, so…"

"What's a Kahuna?" I interrupted.

"The Kahunas are very strong trainers in Alola, cousin." Kukui explained. "They can be near unbeatable for most ordinary folk."

"These Kahunas will just give them a Pokémon?" Mom wondered aloud. "Well, go on, Sol. This isn't an everyday thing! Your hat and bag is still in your room, isn't it?"

"Yeah, of course." My mind was still buzzing with all of this new information hitting me at once. My phone vibrated from a text from Sabine, but I ignored it in favor of searching for my hat and Chewy's Pokeball. My hat, though I wasn't a big fan of wearing it, was buried under a pile of clothes that had been designated the 'laundry pile' since a few hours ago, and my bag was in one of the multitude of boxes that were still piled up in my room.

That left one thing– Chewy's Pokeball. After the last incident when he had accidentally inhaled it with his dinner, I had learned to keep it near me at all times, out of sight for the Big Eater Pokémon.

I picked up my pillow, where it usually laid during the day- nope. I checked my desk drawers. I finally found it under one of the books I had kept from school back in Kanto.

"Come on, Chewy." I motioned to the lazy Pokémon.

No response.

"Chewy."

Still, no response.

"I'll have to eat dinner by myself then-"

A response. Chewy stood up, glaring at me, before leaving the room.

* * *

"Welcome to paradise, cousin!" Kukui seemed to be determined to call me his "cousin". I didn't mind it, though. Mom told me it was an Alolan thing. It was much more open and friendly than the usual "leave me alone" vibe from Kantonians. "Everyone in this region get along by living together with Pokémon, and working together as well."

I followed Kukui as best as I could. He was a fit man and it was a deep slope of a hill we were currently walking up, and my attempt at keeping up wasn't as up to par as anyone had hoped. At some points, Chewy was walking faster than me. I also realized halfway up that I had forgotten sunscreen, and I knew I'd be burning and red in only a few moments as well.

"I suppose it's similar for other regions." Kukui said, mostly to himself. "Pokémon and humans work together here, and you can go anywhere as long as you have a Pokémon, yeah?"

"I guess." I glanced quickly at Chewy, then back to the Professor.

"Iki Town is just this way, Sol." Kukui said, leading me up the hill. He explained a bit as well about the basics of Pokémon as a conversation topic rather than a lesson.

We passed a few trainers battling, and I recognized the glint of the coin of a Meowth, but this was not a normal Meowth. It was a dark grey color, and had a round face. "Professor, is that one of the regional variants of Alola?"

He stopped and followed my line of sight before nodding. "Yep, that is. You're quite observant, Sol."

I shrugged nonchalantly.

By the time we got there, Kukui had gone over all the basics you would learn in elementary school. Not that I minded. It was interesting to hear it from a man like Kukui. He made some of the most boring things sound interesting. As we reached the final steps, I got a good look around Iki Town.

"This is Iki Town!" Kukui explained. "It's quite a small town, but this town is known for being a place where people come to worship and give thanks to the Pokémon that watches over Melemele Island."

"Tapu Koko, right?"

"Right, cousin!" Kukui smiled. "Tapu Koko keeps us safe and happy, see?"

I got a good look around the town. It was a bare-bones sort of town with wooden, hut-like houses scattered throughout it. But there were a great amount of people outside, with Pokémon of their own. Some were battling, and others were just interacting. There was a giant stage in the middle of the town as well, and a building to the left that seemed reminiscent of a town hall.

Kukui stopped short suddenly. "That's strange. I would have thought that the old man would be here already… Where _is_ everyone?"

"Is something wrong?" I asked, making sure I knew exactly where Chewy was. Might be level five, but his Metronome power could knock out a few Pokémon back home.

"The Kahuna isn't here right now." Even though it sounded like terrible news, Kukui said it with a smile on his face. "He's gotta be here somewhere. Say, how about you look around town while I check back on the route to see if we passed him?"

 _Get me to look around the town and introduce myself unknowingly?_ I couldn't tell if it as an accidental or purposeful plan, but I nodded nonetheless. It was a chance to meet the people who lived near my new home.

"Wait, what does he look like-" I turned around and saw only Chewy. Kukui had run off on me. "Gee, thanks."

I decided to wander off on my own as well. The town itself wasn't very impressive itself. The people were kind and waved to me as I passed, all greeting "Alola!". I waved back, unsure of how to respond. As I made my way through town, I found myself standing in front of the stage. It looked more like a battlefield than a stage to worship a guardian on…

I stopped short at the sight of a white sunhat. A familiar white sunhat. It was in that moment when I felt the blood in me run cold, and I made sure that Chewy was standing right next to me. I couldn't think it was possible at that moment, but it was. It was the girl from my dream, standing right across the stage from me.

Her bag shook by itself for a bit. I could only imagine there was some sort of Pokémon in there. I didn't know what it was. She murmured to it before wandering off into the woods.

This definitely seemed more interesting than finding the island's kahuna. Against better judgement, I followed the girl into the woods.


	3. WHAT A WEIRD MORNING

**EDIT: Ugh transferring over from AO3 made it look funky. sorry about that. here it is better.**

* * *

The woods led off to a path of itself. It was an old path, made of dusty dirt and wooden stairs. It was also very steep. Had I not been so morbidly curious about this girl, I wouldn't have even followed her in the first place. I recognized that hat anywhere.

It was definitely the girl from my dream.

The path seemed to get steeper as I followed her. She hadn't even noticed when I almost tripped on a root sticking out. Chewy was in his Pokeball, too lazy to make this ascent with me. I didn't mind, though. I'd be slower, and I'd miss out.

She stopped at the top, where I could barely make her out. I squinted in the bright Alolan sun up at her. She spoke to her bag in a hushed voice- I couldn't make it out- and began walking towards a bridge.

Whatever was in her bag squirmed again, shaking the bag until it popped out. I had never seen a Pokémon like it before. It was small and resembled an orb of gas, with two arms coming off of it that faded from purple to blue. It sparkled under the Alolan sun.

"Nebby-" The girl cried, reaching her hand out to catch it. The Pokémon- Nebby- was too fast for her, and zoomed everywhere, glad to be free of its confinement. As it flew towards the bridge, it flew into the air and did a dramatic twirl.

I held back a smile as I stood off to the side, watching this occur. It was surely something. I almost decided to leave until I witnessed Spearow flying towards the small Nebby.

Nebby cried out, "Pew!" as the Spearow dove towards it, their beaks ready and talons open. The Spearow couldn't get a good grip on the Pokémon, however, their pecks seemed to hurt it just fine. Nebby curled into a ball under the attack of the Spearow, not fighting back.

The girl froze, her knees shaking. She glanced around before her eyes landed on me, standing there to the side. I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me, and my cheeks turned warm. Would she yell at me for following her?

"Uh…" She had the same Stantler-in-the-headlights look that I probably had.

"What's wrong?" I asked, trying to hide the nervousness in my throat. I was a little confused, as well. Why hadn't she gone out towards the Pokémon Nebby and sent out her own? Unless Nebby was her only one, and it was still too weak to fight back. Even then, wouldn't she still go out there?

"H-help. Please… please save Nebby!" She pleaded, her eyes filling with tears. She glanced back and winced as Nebby cried out in pain. "T-Those Spearow are attacking it! But I'm too scared to go out there…"

Oh. Was she slightly afraid of Pokémon? Or was it the height of the bridge? It was over a deep ravine. Her knees were wobbling and she wouldn't stop shaking. I couldn't be just a bystander to this.

"Don't worry." I told her with a (hopefully) assuring tone. "I'll go get it." I nodded, and took a step on the bridge. It trembled as I did, and I gulped. This might not support the weight of my Munchlax, who I planned to use to fight the Spearow. I kept Chewy in his ball and walked further out onto the bridge.

Every few steps, I felt the bridge shake. Something cracked, at one point, that's for sure. I stopped every few seconds as the bridge shook under me, and I threatened a glance down. Rushing water, hundreds of feet below me. I glanced back toward Nebby and focused on it instead of the death that could possibly wait for me below.

I approached Nebby and the attacking Spearow. The flying-types paid no heed to me, ignoring me even as I kneeled down and used my body as a human shield to protect the small Pokémon.

Was that a smart idea? No. The Spearows went to attacking me instead, and they pecked at me and the talons scratched my face up. One of them even drew blood, and I felt a drop fall down my cheek.

That must have been what set the small Nebby off the edge. As the Spearow began another attack, the Pokémon under me began to glow. I thought, for a moment, I had been wrong about the Pokémon being too weak, and I was half expecting people to jump out from the bushes and yell out "PSYCHE!" with cameras and everything. That was not the case.

A pulse came out from Nebby. It was strong enough to scare the Spearow away, however, it was also strong enough to break the bridge under us. And then we were falling.

My life almost ended there. It was a terrifying thought, for sure. Nebby and I were sent plummeting to the ravine below us. My stomach turned upside down, and I prepared for the SMACK of the water awaiting. I clenched my eyes to avoid the world around me and I was waiting for the splash to come.

But it didn't. Some divine being had intervened. It was another Pokémon. I felt it wrap thin, dainty arms around me. I dared to open one eye as it carried me away. I had just about hit the water when this Pokémon came and saved me and it carried me back up to where the girl stood, wide eyed as ever.

As it set me down next to the remains of the bridge, I got a good look at it. The Pokémon was brightly yellow and orange, with a black body. Its arms had two shield-like appendages on them. I couldn't look for too much longer because it locked eyes with me for a brief second before flying off in a bright, yellow light.

Two things happened after that Pokémon left. Nebby jumped out of my arms, heading towards the girl, who grabbed it immediately as it came to her. Chewy forced himself out of his Pokeball as well. He immediately grabbed my arm and made sure I was okay.

I was shocked, at the very least. "What just happened?"

"Thank goodness you're both okay!" The girl said as Nebby flew circles around her. She glanced at the Pokémon with a stern look. "You tried to use your power again, didn't you, Nebby? You know what happens when you use it. You couldn't move for ages after the last time!"

Nebby responded in a sad "pew…." looking slightly hurt at being scolded.

"I… I know, Nebby. You were trying to help me that time, and I couldn't even repay you…" The girl sighed, watching as Nebby nuzzled her leg. She glanced at me, and my newly appeared Munchlax, before saying, "Your, uh, Munchlax is eating something."

I sighed. "Really, Chewy?" I turned on my heel and witnessed him trying to eat some sort of weird stone. Kneeling down, I demanded he dropped it. It was like taking care of a baby Meowth sometimes. Munchlaxes eats anything they deem edible, after all. Once I wrestled the weird stone, still covered in slobber, I returned him to his Pokeball.

The girl let out a small giggle, before sighing. "Please, forgive me… I'm so grateful you helped me out of that terrible spot."

"It's fine." I responded. "Are you okay after all of that?"

She smiled, shaking her head a bit. "A little shaken up, I suppose." She glanced into my eyes. They were actually a really nice shade of green, reminding me of the fields of grass near Viridian back in Kanto. "Don't tell anyone about seeing Nebby, please. It's… it's a secret, okay?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." For a brief moment, I worried that I had stumbled upon the beginning of some sort of secret plot in Alola, similar to that of Kanto's current mess. What had I gotten myself into? I laughed those thoughts off as soon as they came. She probably wasn't allowed to have a Pokémon yet and didn't want me to tell, right?

The girl turned to Nebby. "Come on, Nebby. Back into the bag." She held her bag open towards the small Pokémon. It gladly went into the bag, curling up over a couple of notebooks. She began to walk away, but stopped and glanced back. "Um… I'm worried we might get attacked again by wild Pokémon, or A...something. This is probably too much for me to ask, but will you come see us… back to town?"

"Of course. I need to head back, too, anyway." I responded.

And together, the girl from my weird dream and I began our descent back to Iki town.

* * *

"Hey, Sol!" Kukui greeted as the girl and I got back to town. "Looks like you didn't find him, huh? But you found my assistant, yeah!"

I glanced at the girl. "Assistant?"

"Oh, um, y-yeah!" The girl blushed a bit. "You can call me Lillie."

"It's nice to meet you, Lillie." I replied. "I'm Sol."

Kukui smiled as he made his way across the wooden stage. "Sol just moved here from the Kanto region. Take good care of him, eh?"

"Oh." She seemed definitely shocked about that. "So you know Professor Kukui as well?"

Kind of? I just met him today. "He's a family friend." I settled on replying, with a small smile.

Chewy broke out of his Pokeball again. I suppose he didn't want to make the long trip down from the bridge, but there was the smell of food in the air. It was around lunch, and I guess that people were already out and about for that meal. "Munch!"

"And who is this?" Lillie glanced at my Munchlax.

"This is Chewy." I replied. "He was a gift from my stepfather a few years ago." Chewy glanced up at Lillie and smiled at her.

"It's nice to meet you, Chewy." She smiled back.

It wasn't long before people started to drift towards the town's entrance. "The kahuna is back!" "Kahuna Hala has returned!" "Our guardian's chosen one is back!" "Hala, it's nice to see you today!" "One of the strongest of trainers in Alola, yeah?"

I followed the voices and the small crowd forming to see the kahuna. He wasn't what I was expecting. He was at least a foot taller than me, a white mustache, and with white hair pulled back into a small ponytail. He was rather stout as well, and wore a blue shirt with white shorts, and had a yellow printed shirt over that.

"Have I missed something?" Kahuna Hala asked as he approached Kukui, Lillie and I.

"Naw, but where'd you go off to, Kahuna? I thought we were all meeting here!"

"I am the kahuna of this island, after all. Whenever there is a problem on this island, it is my duty to solve it!" He gave a small smile. "For some reason, I thought I saw Tapu Koko flying around."

I glanced to Lillie. "Is that who saved me?"

Lillie nodded. "Oh, um, Kahuna Hala… Nebby was being attacked by Spearow on the Plank Bridge when Sol came by. He went out and tried to protect Nebby, but the bridge gave away under them. I thought they both would fall to the bottom! And that's when the island's guardian deity came to save them!"

Kukui was taken back by this story; we hadn't had enough time to explain what had happened, after all. "Whoa, that's not a story you hear every day!"

Hala laughed. "While it is said to protect us, Tapu Koko is rather a fickle creature, yet he was moved to save you." Hala turned to Kukui. "Kukui, my boy, we may have cause to celebrate! It seems I should entrust this boy with an Alolan Pokémon himself after all!"

"I'm glad to meet you, child." Hala said, taking a step towards me. "I am Hala, the kahuna of Melemele Island. Welcome to Alola!"

"I'm Sol. And thank you?" I felt intimidated by this man by just standing feet away from him.

Chewy smiled up at him, seeing a slight resemblance. "Lax?"

"And this is Chewy."

"Munchlax!"

"Ah, yes, young Kukui told me of your coming. I am glad we got to meet today!" He turned to the stage. "Come, my Pokémon! Let's have a look at you!"

It registered in me just then that I was going to get a Pokémon from Alola. It felt like such an honor. Shouldn't I just keep Chewy and live my life out with him? Did I deserve such a Pokémon from a Kahuna? I felt as if I should deny them, but the people in Alola seemed so nice and kind.

(Plus, it was a free Pokémon. You don't get much of those these days!)

Three Pokémon appeared before Hala. Starting from the right, there was a small Pokémon that reminded me of a Seel. It was pure blue, and had an elongated face with a pink nose. It also had a frilly collar around its neck, and it barked and smiled when my eyes met it. It was cute.

Next to it was a cat-like Pokémon. It was striped, red and black, with big yellow eyes. It licked its paw without even looking at me. Rather uninterested, I looked at the third choice.

It was a small, avian Pokémon. It was very round as well, almost a perfect spear. It had a small beak, with cream and white colored feathers. It also had a green bow on its chest, resembling a bow tie. It chirped a "koo!" at me happily.

"Meet the grass-type Rowlet, the fire-type Litten, and the water-type Popplio!" Hala turned to me. "Which Pokémon will you choose as your partner?"

Chewy was distracted by a couple who were off to the side, munching on some tourist food. They had smiled as he approached and begged for food. I should have stopped him, but I was about to make a choice. "Um…"

They were all so cool and cute. I wasn't sure how I was going to make up my mind. Litten didn't appear to care too much for me from the beginning, and Popplio got distracted by some passing people. The only one who kept its gaze on me was the Rowlet.

"Rowlet?" I responded, not too confident.

"I see." Hala responded. "Only when you both have chosen each other can you truly become partners." Litten and Popplio were returned to their Pokeballs, and handed to Kukui. "Well, go on, boy. Up on the stage."

"Uh, okay." I made my way up to the stairs, feeling awkward by being the center of attention. The videos I made were different than this. The videos were watched by people I never saw unless I somehow met them in real life. This was reality, with people watching me stand up and face the Rowlet to find out if it wanted me just as I wanted it.

"Let us see if little Rowlet also wishes for this!" Hala said.

I gulped. This is not what I had imagined when I learned I would be getting an Alolan Pokémon. Nonetheless, I glanced down at Rowlet, praying to all the gods, please don't reject me please don't reject me please don't reject me.

Rowlet glanced around at the crowd forming. It seemed just as uncomfortable as I was being up there. But it stayed, and it looked at me again, chirping to itself. I expected it to turn away, but instead, it came flying towards me and straight into my arms. It was such a strong Pokémon that the force caused me to fall on my back, and we became a pile of ruffled feathers, squawking, and laughter.

Hala chucked. "So it appears that little Rowlet has chosen you as well, Sol."

I stood up again, blowing loose feathers off of my shirt, my hands full of Rowlet. "I'm glad, Rowlet."

Rowlet chirped back.

"Do you want to give him a nickname?" Kukui asked.

I thought for a moment. "Oliver?" It was more of an Owl-iver.

Oliver chirped back. I guess it was set in stone now.

"It's nice to meet you, Oliver." Lillie grinned, having caught Chewy's attention with a granola bar and herding him back here. Nebby greeted Oliver as well, catching Lillie off guard. "When did you get out of the bag?

"Sol!" Kukui smiled. "Here's a special gift from me as well, a welcome present to Alola, cousin!" He handed me a red device, reminiscent of a tablet of sorts, with two dark circles at the top. It was somewhat heavy, and Rowlet left my arms and landed on my head so I could grab it.

"A Pokedex is a really high tech tool that most trainers use world wide. It's a high tech tool that records facts about any Pokémon you catch. They've become more available in more recent years. Why don't you try it out on your Pokémon, yeah?"

"Alright." I turned it on and pointed it at Chewy. A robotic voice chirped out;

"Munchlax, Male. It needs to consume its own weight in food every day. As far as flavor is concerned, it's indifferent."

To Oliver, it said;

"Rowlet, Male. This wary Pokémon uses photosynthesis to store up energy during the day, while becoming active at night."

Oliver chirped in response. I scrolled through the information on it. There were places to record my Pokémon's growth, a prediction of future moves they will learn, how long it could take until the next level with adequate training, how their HP looked, and even a notepad.

"Thanks, Professor Kukui!" I said, looking up from the Pokedex with glee.

As weird as it had been, today was certainly shaping up to be the start of something great.


	4. OH GOD I WASN'T PREPARED FOR THIS

It was a simple thing to do, honestly. A simple suggestion. Kukui suggested I return home and show Mom Oliver and such. I remembered the way, and I headed back that way, but before I could even get out of the village, I was stopped by a boy.

His dark green hair was pulled back in a style similar to Hala's, but strands still fell forward in his face. It was juxtapositioned next to dark skin, which was somewhat of a unique sight. The green and dark skin combination, not the skin. Though people of color weren't all that common in Kanto as they were in Unova or Hoenn. He had a black, loose t-shirt on, with orange shorts that had a flower print on them.

"Hey!" He called out. "You and me, let's have a Pokémon battle!"

Hala spotted this immediately, and started chuckling. "Where's the fire, boy? And what kind of Pokémon battle would that be where you didn't even give your name first, eh?"

"Ah, fine." The boy turned to me, resting his arms behind his head with a big smile. "Fair enough! My name is Hau, and my partner's Poppy!"

A Popplio came out of the Pokeball in his pocket and barked.

I'll admit it, it was a little hard to focus at that moment. Being suddenly attacked by a cute boy isn't how anyone would start their walk home.

"Hey, you're turning a little pink there. You okay?"

I laughed nervously, before wincing. Not only was the scratch on my cheek still raw, but the skin felt warm to the touch. And it wasn't because of Hau at all. "Oh, just a little sunburn." I knew I should've put sunscreen on before I left the house. "I'm Sol, by the way."

"It's nice to meet ya, Sol!" Hau smiled again. Could he smile any wider? "Your Rowlet is pretty cool!"

"Thanks?"

"Yeah!" He turned to Hala briefly, before looking at me again. "So let's battle! I've been looking for you all over because I couldn't wait for you to get to Iki Town!"

"I don't usually like to see Pokémon battles." Lillie said, off on the side. "But I'll watch for you, Sol, especially… you know."

"Oh, yeah, your first battle in Alola, huh?" Kukui grinned, crossing his arms. "They're not as organized as they are in Kanto, Sol. Just dish out some moves and we'll see who wins."

I nodded.

"I appreciate you being willing to take on my grandson here. I expect a no-holds-barred battle from the both of you!"

Hau grinned. "So you will battle me, right?"

I had nothing else to lose than my dignity, right? "Sure, Hau!"

Hau nodded. It looks like my first Pokémon battle in Alola was about to begin.

We each sent out one Pokémon each, our 'starters' (I felt unfair using Chewy. He had been with me longer, and was a little stronger than Oliver). Kukui was right about it being less organized than in Kanto. We just sent out the Pokémon and fought.

I remembered the moves from my Pokedex scan of Oliver, at least. Tackle, Growl, and a move that I didn't recognize, Leafage. But it was green, so that must've meant grass. Popplio was a water type. It seemed as if I had the advantage in this battle, but I wasn't going to be too confident.

He sent out Poppy, I sent out my new Rowlet. Hau let me go first.

"Oliver, use Growl!" I called out. Oliver nodded, and puffing out the feathers on his chest, released the mightiest growl he could. It wasn't very mighty, and actually quite cute, but it intimidated the water-type enough.

"Poppy, pound!" Hau retaliated, and the Popplio, rather clumsily, crawled towards Oliver and hit him, much like a punch to the face. It dealt some damage, but it was more hilarious to see Oliver offended at the mere attack.

I stood back for a minute, thinking of how to attack next. This wasn't my first Pokémon battle, nor my first trainer one, but it wasn't what I was used to. "Oliver, use… Leafage?" It wasn't a confident command, but Oliver went through with it anyway. It was like watching a dart come out from his feathers and hit the Popplio. It hit rather hard as well, harder than the pound did.

"Poppy, use your own growl!" Hau commanded. Poppy nodded, and let out a loud bark. The growl was more intimidating than what Oliver could make.

I pondered my next move, watching as Oliver glanced around the field before turning his head to look at me. It was kind of cool how he could do that. I shook my head, trying not to be too distracted by the battle. "Oliver, use Leafage again!"

The damage from the Leafage was enough to knock Popplio down enough. Poppy was weak enough to stand, but too weak to attack again without getting severely hurt. Hau returned his Pokémon to her Pokeball and grinned. He had lost, but he was…..

….happy? Hau jumped up and down, excited like a child on Christmas. He was excited about losing. "Hoo-ee! That gave me chicken skin!"

 _Chicken skin? What?_

"Sol, right?" He grinned ecstatically. "Your Rowlet was AWESOME!"

"Thanks. Your Popplio was pretty tough, too." I replied.

"Now that settles it! I'm going all out tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow-?" Before I could finish my question, Hala stopped me.

"Hm? Sol… Would you be so kind as to let me see that sparkling stone in your pocket?" Hala asked.

I stopped for a moment, confused to why he could see it, but it was sparkling alright. It was almost as bright as a star at night, in fact. I pulled it out of my pocket. It still had Chewy slobber on it, but Hala took it anyway.

"Could it be?"

"Tutu, isn't that…?" Hau turned to his grandfather with wide eyes. Did he just call his grandfather Tutu?

"You were rescued by Tapu Koko at the bridge, right, Sol?"

"Yeah, it rescued me." I certainly wouldn't forget that moment. "Then Chewy found that stone and tried to eat it, thinking it was food."

"So it even deigned to give you a stone…" Hala nodded, but not to anyone around. "Perhaps you are here in Alola, Sol, because this is where you are meant to be."

"Like fate?" I said.

Hala winked. "Allow me to borrow this stone for now, Sol. I shall return it to you tomorrow evening at the festival, of course."

"Festival?" I questioned.

"Ah yes!" Hala chuckled. "We are having a festival tomorrow, honoring Tapu Koko. It is somewhat of a tradition we have."

"The festival ends in a battle, Sol!" Hau grinned. "You're in, right?"

"S-sure?"

"Awesome. See you then?"

"Of course!" I watched as Hau ran off to who knows where. Probably a Pokémon center of some sorts to heal up his Popplio.

Kukui grinned. "Well, let's go, Sol. I'll take you back to your house, yeah? Your Mom gets to meet your new Pokémon!"

* * *

Kukui dropped me off at my door, and I let myself in. Chewy was too tired from the day (and he did _so_ much, sarcasm intended) so he was in his Pokeball, however, Oliver was waddling by my feet. He chirped a goodbye to Kukui as well.

"Welcome home, Oliver." I said as I opened the door.

Mom was in our small kitchen, cooking what seemed to be dinner, when she heard us enter. "Ah, welcome back, Sol!" She wiped her hands on a loose towel before running around the island towards us. "Don't keep me waiting, I want to see what Pokémon you got!"

I could tell my mom's heart melted when she saw Oliver. Oliver cooed at her, flapping his wings in delight.

"Oh, I think I'm falling in love!" Mom said with a sigh. "Hello there!" She waved to Oliver. Oliver flapped his wings and got airborne a bit before landing on my outstretched arm for Mom to see.

The family Meowth came out from one of her many meowth trees to greet Oliver as well. Pluto purred up before losing interest and going to chase a ball of fuzz that came in from the outside.

"So why did you choose this cutie?" Mom asked, rubbing a few fingers on Oliver's head. He seemed to enjoy that a lot as well.

"It felt right." I replied. "Plus, he was the cutest of the bunch."

Oliver koo'd at me, obviously flushed. Mom laughed, before noticing the condition I was in, especially my face. I was pretty pink, and the scratch on my face stung a bit whenever I smiled. "Sol, what did you do this time?"

"I forgot sunscreen?" I suggested, but I got the mom look.

"Solomon…."

"It's a long story."


	5. Vlog 2: A Wild Pokemon Appeared!

The video starts abruptly. It's the usual, long-haired blond boy sitting on his bed. Just like the previous video, he's in Alola.

"Hey guys, it's Sol here, and I have…" He looks like he's bursting with happiness. "Hoo, I have a story to tell you guys. It's my second day in Alola and...well…"

A Pokémon appeared on screen. It wasn't the usual Chewy, or a cameo from Pluto, the household's pet, but someone else entirely. It was round and owl-like in appearance, with a green leaf bow tie on its chest. It koo'd at the camera.

"Meet Oliver, guys!" Sol cheered, throwing a bit of confetti from his pocket into the air. It landed on his head and Pokémon's respectively. Sol tried to hold back a giggle at the sight of the Oliver covered in confetti. "It's quite the story of how I got him, to be honest."

Sol tells the story to the camera. It seems, however, as if he's purposely left out information. He doesn't detail the Pokémon he saved from the bridge, or give out the names of his new friends yet, however, he does explain who Professor Kukui is and who Kahuna Hala is, and what, after all, is a kahuna.

"I would've loved to get my first battle in Alola on camera, dangit." Sol curses under his breath as Oliver makes himself comfortable on a pillow in the background. "I didn't have my camera on me at the time, but I'll be sure to bring it out more often."

A pause from Sol.

"What else is there to talk about?" Sol wonders aloud. "I got the bridge, meeting Oliver, and the battle. Mom says that Oliver is an absolute cutie- I agree, by the way- and he fits right in our crazy house... there's a festival tomorrow. I'll definitely get footage of that."

He glances off screen and shrugs. "I guess it's just a quick update video then. See you guys later!"

The outro cuts on. The normal ukulele music is playing in the background, with the same buttons labeled "subscribe" and a link to Sol's previous video.


End file.
